Summer Skin
by sonicarutha
Summary: Hatori, Shigure, and Ayame decide to take a vacation to the Souma lake house for summer break; little do they know that they are in for drunken nights, an alleged haunting, and a near death experience.
1. The Great Escape

**Title: **Summer Skin  
**Pairings:** None in this story  
**Rating:** T  
**Warnings:** There is slight OOC and some drug references (tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana). The chapter was short, but it's just to show the moments before the vacation starts.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own **Fruits Basket, **Natsuki Takaya does.

* * *

Hatori felt poking at his back as he tried to keep his attention to the front of the classroom. It was nothing but Shigure trying to pass more notes to him. He knew what they were about; they were about summer break, the day that Shigure was waiting for. He had talked about plans with Ayame, but whenever he was to talk to Hatori, he was shut down. Hatori didn't want anything to do with their parties over the summer; he had more important things to do, like study for after the break was done.

"Haa-san," Shigure whispered as he kept poking Hatori's back. "Psst… Haa-san, I have something for you. It's important."

It was never important, it was always Shigure trying his hardest to get Hatori in trouble, but today he was not going to be successful. Hatori stayed focused on the front of the room as Shigure kept poking at him. With ever movement he grew more and more annoyed with his cousin, hearing him repeating his name, breaking his concentration from the last day of lesson.

He closed his eyes tightly as he knew what this was about, Shigure had been invited to some party and he wanted Hatori to go with him to get him out of the books. Hatori was the "wet blanket" of the group and he knew that it was starting to annoy the hell out of Shigure, with every poke he was growing more and more annoyed with whatever Shigure wanted. He gave into his annoyance and turned around.

"What?" Hatori whispered.

"Take this…" Shigure handed him a piece of paper.

Hatori unfolded the piece of paper and started to read. The summer house, Shigure had arranged a trip to the summer house ove summer break. Hatori closed his eyes as he thought about what it would be like in that house for that long, alone with all of them. It was going to be hell. He was going to be lucky if he got out of there alive.

Yet he couldn't help but think of how nice a vacation would be. He needed to get away from the school books and the pressure for a little while. He needed to act like Shigure and Ayame; he had to get away from everything. He turned to Shigure for a second and nodded.

"You're coming?" Shigure asked. "Just like that?"

"I have to watch you so you don't get into trouble," Hatori answered quietly as he turned to the front of the class. "But no alcohol…"

"Come on," Shigure whispered. "It's not summer break without alcohol."

"So it's not summer break without drunken antics?" Hatori asked with a sneer. "I'm not going to go to a house with a lake with you drunk, you're going to kill yourself."

"You know CPR."

"That's comforting. I'm going to be your CPR?"

"No," Shigure moved closer to Hatori. "You're going to have fun. You're going to get drunk with us and you're going to remember this summer for the rest of your life."

"Not if I'm drunk I won't. If you want to remember the summer, you should behave and make some nice healthy choices. Besides if anyone knew about you bringing beer and marijuana we'd be in trouble."

"So just cigarettes?" Shigure asked.

"Cigarettes are fine," Hatori answered.

Hatori was surprised the teacher wasn't yelling at them for talking during the whole lesson. Usually when vacations came up they would be kicked out of the classroom for acting out during class. Hatori hated vacation time; his cousins would turn into something completely different, they would become more monstrous than usual. Hatori then closed his eyes as the class ended.

Everyone was filled with joy as they started talking about their plans, Ayame walking from across the room to high five Shigure, Hatori closing his eyes tightly as he looked at them.

"So is he coming?" Ayame asked.

"As long as there are cigarettes…" Shigure answered.

Ayame shook his head. "Honestly you should really quit smoking, Haa-san…"

"You two are the reason I _started_ smoking," Hatori rolled his eyes.

"So is he cool with alcohol?"

"No alcohol! I'm not _cool _with that!" Hatori yelled as he walked down the hall. "First off: you shouldn't be drinking in the first place. Second off: no drugs! If the family finds out about these drugs and alcohol we are going to die like dogs!"

"So only Shigure's going to die?" Ayame asked, his eyes filled with confusion.

"I can handle that," Shigure shrugged. "Just as long as we are able to go on vacation first. We can kick back at the lake house go swimming and finally get a tan. We can die after the fun is over."

Hatori shook his head. "I still think you two should be responsible and think this over."

"Responsible? That's what we have you for: for the thinking, and you have us for allowing you to have fun," Shigure smiled. "Come on, what's a little fun going to hurt?"

"Do you really want me to list?" Hatori sighed as he realized there was not winning with these people. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," Shigure smiled.

Hatori knew that this trip was a bad idea; he knew that he was only going to get himself in trouble; he knew that this was going to be the end of him, but they were the only ones who knew how to make him have fun. He walked alongside them trying to hide the smile that was rolling across his face, he was never this happy before in his life to get away from it all, to get away from the strictures of his straight-laced life. Maybe some relaxation time was going to do him some good.

He looked at his cousins as the smile rolled across his face; he knew that it wasn't going to be torture. He never was tortured when they all had fun together. It was going to be their usual fun eating dumplings at four in the morning with beers, telling stories that they had heard through the hallways, and then they would all pass out at six in the morning and not wake up until noon. Those were the moments that Hatori was going to remember the most about this summer. Those were the moments that he was looking forward to.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," Hatori smiled. "Make sure you bring everything you need though, I don't want to turn back after we're halfway there…"

Shigure smiled a wicked smile. "Oh I'm going to bring _everything_…"

* * *

I know that's it's March and this is a summer story, but by the time I finish it, it'll probably be summer. I'm actually proud of this chapter, one the only things that I have been proud of in a while. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This is going to show how young people build relationships through fun as the surreal moments of the summer unwind. It's going to get to a strong T as this keeps going.

Like what you read? Feel free to PM me a request (See profile for details.)

Also feel free to review. I love feedback.

Also see my profile to see the other stories that are coming up.


	2. This Town

**Pairings:** None in this story  
**Rating:** T  
**Warnings:** There is slight OOC and probably some errors. The chapter was short, but this is more of a transition chapter  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own **Fruits Basket, **Natsuki Takaya does.

* * *

Hatori closed the trunk as he walked around to get into the car. He still couldn't believe that Ayame and Shigure convinced him to go on this trip. He was supposed to be the more sensible one of the group. He was supposed to stop them when they got like this, but he was nothing against the temptations of the two of them. It was just one summer, one summer where more memories would be made.

He looked around at the scenery. This was the place where he had spent all of his life. This was the place where he spent all of his school life in. This was the place where he was going to be when he grew up. This was the place where he was going to die. His life revolved around the Souma House. He took a deep breath as he knew this was his chance to get away from it all, to take a breath of fresh air.

"Are you ready?" Shigure asked as he sat in the front seat. "You're wasting half of the summer just standing back there."

"What's your rush?" Hatori asked as he walked toward the front of the car. "You seem excited."

"Why wouldn't I be? I get to go away from this house. Sounds like fun to me!" Shigure smiled as Hatori got into the car. "Not excited?"

"Is anyone excited before they die?"

He started the car as he looked at the faces of his friends. They were a little too excited for vacation. They waited all of their lives to be able to unwind. As the summer air blew through the window he took a deep breath, backing the car out of the driveway. It was time for their vacation to begin.

"The lake is going to be so much fun this time of year," Shigure beamed as he looked back at Ayame. "Think of all that we can do. Swim…"

"Tan…" Ayame smiled.

"Drown," Hatori breathed as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Don't be such a buzz kill, Haa-san. Who said anything about anyone drowning?" Shigure hissed, the smile still on his face blocking out any malice or annoyance in his voice. "Sometimes I think that you want someone to die."

"Why would I want someone to die?" Hatori asked.

"Ever since we told you about the trip you've been nothing but negative. You think that people are going to die," Shigure shook his head as his eyes were fixated on his friend. "Haa-san, no one is going to get hurt."

"With you two, someone _always_ gets hurt. And I bet that it's going to be me."

"You can't get hurt, if you get hurt who's going to save us from danger?" Ayame asked as moved closer to the front seats. "You're the CPR!"

"Thanks," Hatori breathed as he looked at the road.

As he passed every landmark, as he looked around, he saw as he was leaving the world that he had once known into the world that they were going to spend the next weeks together. Slowly they were leaving the town that they had known, the people, the nature. It was all passing him by as he heard the laughter of Shigure and Ayame. A smile rolled across his face as he looked at the two of them. This was the break that he needed. This was the moment where he was no longer Hatori, the busy-body. He was now going to have fun.

He thought back to the town that they were leaving; he wished that they could leave it forever; he wished that the summer would never end. He looked at Shigure and Ayame, wishing that they could be this way forever. He looked ahead to the summer that they were going to share together, his heart racing as this was the first time he wasn't worried about what was ahead. This was the first time that he could relax.

"There's so much we can do. We're going to be all alone. Completely unsupervised! No adults to tell us what to and not to do!" Shigure cheered as he turned almost completely around to face Ayame in the back seat, his smile growing wider. "We can do whatever we want…"

"Whenever we want…" Ayame continued as he leaned forward, closer to Shigure, as they laughed with one another.

"With whomever we want…" Shigure's voice filled with joy.

"Wherever we want…" Ayame's voice filled with the same happiness that was within Shigure's.

Shigure smiled broadly as he looked at Hatori. "However we want…"

"As long as it's semi-legal," Hatori smiled.

"Even Haa-san's in the spirit," Ayame laughed as he looked at the driver. "He said _semi_-legal!"

Their laughter filled the car as Hatori closing his eyes as he could feel the joy and hot summer air blow upon his face. They were so carefree while he felt like he was forever to be stuck in a prison. He looked at the two of them as the scenery passed the car. This was his liberation, this was his prison break. He was leaving the prison that was called _this town_.

He was leaving this town, getting the hell out of there before he lost his mind. As the liberation continued, he took a deep breath. This was where he belonged. This was going to be the time of his life. Everything was going his way. He finally got out of this town. He was finally free.

Summer was in full bloom.

* * *

I know in my profile it said that I wasn't going to continue this story. But I've been in a very _Fruits Baskety_ mood these days. I was sitting down listening to "This Town" by OAR and I was inspired to write this. I hope you all enjoy it. It was very fun to write and I hope that it's just as much fun to read!

The next chapter they are going to arrive at the lakehouse and have some fun!

Like what you read? Feel free to PM me a request (See profile for details.)

Also feel free to review. I love feedback.


	3. Tick Tick Boom

**Pairings:** None in this story  
**Rating:** T  
**Warnings:** There is slight OOC and probably some errors. There is also teenage drinking, references to drugs, and some strong language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own **Fruits Basket, **Natsuki Takaya does.

* * *

Hatori closed the car door behind him, looking at the lake house. After hours of hearing Shigure talk about the best summer ever, he had grown exhausted. He looked over his shoulder to see Ayame unpacking the trunk, taking out several of the bags. It was only the start of the shenanigans that these two had planned for him. He sighed as he reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette.

"Lighting up already?" Shigure asked as he walked to Hatori's side. "We haven't even done anything yet…"

"Exactly. Why do you think I'm so nervous?" Hatori lit the cigarette as he looked at the house that was in front of them. "The first thing I'm going to do is go through your bags and get rid of anything that you may have brought without my permission."

Shigure shook his head. "Can you pretend for just one day that you're still a kid? Honestly Haa-san, if you worry this much you're going to get wrinkles…"

"Wrinkles are unappealing," Ayame stated as if Hatori didn't know what wrinkles were.

Hatori walked toward the house as he took a deep breath. He wanted to relax, but how could a man relax when he was sitting next to two time bombs that were going to explode at any second? He walked as if he were on thin ice not wanting to fall through and drown in any liquid that these two may have created under his feet.

"Haa-san," Shigure breathed. "You know you're allowed to relax this summer… no one is going to yell at you."

Hatori moved to walk through the door. "I am relaxed."

Ayame shook his head. "If this is relaxed I would hate to see him stressed."

"Well you know that Haa-san is a little bit of a stick in the mud," Shigure whispered. "But I got something that's going to make everything so much better…" he reached into the bag to pull out a bottle. It was wine.

At the moment, the tables turned. The two bombs were no longer bombs. They were sitting ducks. Hatori looked at the bottle and choked on a cloud of cigarette smoke, coughing violently as his eyes watered. Through blurry vision he could see Shigure's devious smile. He had won the battle between them.

"What part of no alcohol did you not understand?" Hatori asked.

"The part where you said no alcohol," Shigure answered as he leapt through the air to land on the couch. "Now who wants a sip?"

Hatori shook his head. "Oh no! We're not opening that up in here," he moved closer to Shigure. "We're going to throw that bottle into the lake…"

Shigure gasped as he moved the bottle away from the dragon. "But Haa-san what about the aquatic life?"

Ayame giggled as he moved to the couch. "How much did you bring?"

"A lady never tells…" Shigure beamed as he moved to open the bottle.

"Shigure…" Hatori growled.

"_Shigure_…" Shigure mocked him, whining all of Hatori's words.

"Give me the bottle…"

"_Give me the bottle_…"

"I mean it!"

"_I mean it_!"

Hatori scoffed as he slumped onto the couch sitting next to Ayame. "You guys really didn't listen to me did you?"

Shigure sighed. "If we listened to everything that you said we'd be three old men sitting on a couch in a lake house right now. And if that was the case we should all go fishing and talk about the glory days when we used to have fun in high school. We're making memories, Haa-san. Ten years down the road you're going to look back and say 'wow… that was an awesome trip.'"

Hatori took a deep breath. "What else did you bring? Drugs?"

Shigure smiled. "Haa-san…"

Hatori shook his head. "Damn it you two! You don't get it do you? Do you know how retarded this is?"

Shigure gasped. He was absolutely dumbfounded by what he had just heard his friend say. "Did he just say _retarded_?"

As for Ayame, all he could do was stare as those words rolled past Hatori's lips. Hatori was always so polite when it came to speech. He rarely swore. He rarely said any slurs whatsoever. He was an all around boring, Type A, buzz-kill. But now as Hatori looked into his friends' eyes he knew they were in shock from how much damage they could do.

"You asked me out here to drink and get high with you?" Hatori shook his head. "I knew it. I knew you two were up to no good. I should have stayed home. But no. I guess you two always get your way. And now that we're all the way here there's no way in God's name that I can go back without bringing you two back."

Shigure was the first to speak. "Haa-san," he put the bottle of wine on the floor. "Come on. Unwind a little. You see, the family has you scared to death. Unlike me and Aaya, you played into their game. What you need to realize is that there's no one here who's going to get us in trouble. What happens in the lake house _stays_ in the lake house…"

Hatori shook his head. "You two are jackasses…"

"Maybe we are, but you love us…" Shigure smiled.

Hatori sighed as he looked at the bottle of wine that was on the floor. Ayame and Shigure were so free. They could do anything that they wanted to do and not think about the consequences. He was jealous of them. Hatori would give anything to be like that. He swallowed hard as he looked at the bottle. Shigure said that he needed to loosen up. He was always so uptight. He avoided looking at the bottle as Shigure and Ayame looked at each other as if they were wondering how to make this situation more fun.

"Well aren't you going to open it?" Hatori asked, gaining two sets of confused eyes. "The wine bottle that is…"

Shigure's jaw dropped. "Are you giving us permission to drink it?"

"You're gonna drink it anyway," Hatori looked at the bottle. "Why not just let you drink it so I don't hate myself in the morning?"

Shigure opened the bottle quickly, his eyes never leaving Hatori's. "Why are you being so cool all of a sudden?"

"Because in the long run, Shigure, you always get your way…" Hatori grabbed the wine bottle from him, hearing Ayame gasp.

Hatori brought the bottle to his lips and took a long sip of the wine, feeling the burn of alcohol run through his body as he swallowed it. He could feel the eyes on him as Ayame and Shigure alternated between looking at each other and watching as Hatori downed nearly half the bottle of wine. As he pulled the bottle from his lips, Hatori coughed at the taste of the liquor in his mouth. He couldn't believe what he had just done.

"Okay…" Shigure seemed confused. "Are you alright?"

Ayame was even more confused. "So you're not mad about the alcohol?"

Hatori took another sip. Ever swallow was liberation. He was tired of being the man that everyone made him out to be. He was tired of being the "good boy." Out of the three of them Ayame was the fun, spontaneous one; Shigure was the flirty, laid back one; and Hatori was the uptight, picture perfect, boring one. With every sip he realized that he needed to vacation away from the box he was put into. He took the bottle away from his lips as he coughed again.

"Maybe you should slow down," Ayame warned Hatori. "You're gonna make yourself sick…"

Hatori looked down at the bottle. "Did you bring anymore of this?"

Shigure nodded. "Yeah…"

"Bring it in…" Hatori breathed before taking another sip.

"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Haa-san?" Shigure shook his head.

"Gure-san, maybe Tori-san has learned how to have fun…" Ayame whispered.

"He didn't have the time or the tools to do that kind of job before we left," Shigure whispered back. "What do you think it is? Was it something we said?"

Hatori took another sip of the wine as he closed his eyes. His head was already starting to swirl in a drunken haze. He had never drunken this much before. Usually whenever they pulled him into their games, he had a glass of wine or a cup of beer just to shut them up, but as he reached well beyond the halfway point of the bottle of wine, he knew that today was different. He was out of energy. He didn't have the patience to fight them off anymore. He had given in.

It was time bomb waiting to go off and it had been ticking ever since he got that note in class. And the moment that he got here it had blown up. It was all over, or maybe it had just begun.

* * *

It has been a while since I touched this story, but I just recently got in the mood to write another chapter of this seeing as it hasn't been held hostage by my broken computer. And who doesn't love Fruits Basket? And who doesn't love an excuse to have Haa-san drinking half a bottle of wine?

The next chapter they are going to expirience some more drinking and Hatori is not going to be himself anymore!

Like what you read? Feel free to PM me a request (See profile for details.)

Also feel free to review. I love feedback.


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